New Testament Bible Study

Resources on Gospel Hall.org for New Testament Bible Study include:

Online Bible Search in multiple versions.
Commentaries suited for reference in New Testament Bible Study.
Articles related to gospel themes found in New Testament Bible Study.
The online section General Bible Teaching includes articles on themes such as Jesus Tomb, What the Bible Teaches, the Training of the Twelve, Distinctions in Bible Doctrines and much more.

In your quest for New Testament Bible Study, your primary source of information should be the New Testament itself. Therefore, a heavily-used resource in Bible Study here is the online Bible which displays all books of the Bible, including the New Testament, in multiple versions, in parallel.

Instructions for using the Parallel Bible in your New Testament Bible Study...

1. Select the link gen 1:1-5" TARGET="_blank">gen 1:1-5&search=&ver1=kjv&ver2=bbe">Parallel Bible .

2. Type in a passage Bible reference such as John 3:1-5" TARGET="_blank">John 3:1-5 as pictured.

3. Choose the first Bible version to form the first version of the parallel (ASV -American Standard Version, BBE - Bible in Basic English, DBY - Darby "New Translation", GFR - God's Word for Readers, KJV - King James Version, WEB - World English Bible, YLT - Young's Literal Translation, or the ESV - English Standard Version)

4. Select the second Bible version to complete the parallel. The second, optional parallel, choice is not required to make a search.

5. Click Search to launch the parallel bible view.

If you enter a search word or phrase, the results of your parallel bible search will be different with each Bible version since the language in each Bible version is slightly different.

We hope you enjoy your New Testament Bible Study resources.

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Is the "fear of death" no longer satanic in its origin?

This page was adapted from an answer at Truth and Tidings Magazine by David Oliver.

Satan used Adam as the instrument to bring death into the world (Romans 5:12)." TARGET="_blank">Romans 5:12). So it may be said the Satan is the origin of death in the world. The fear of death, though, has human origins. However Satan can use it effectively as his tool.

The verse, therefore is not making a difference between those who lived before Christ and others who were born after the cross. It would be incorrect to say that believers or unbelievers in times before Christ were more afraid of death. However, it is correct to say that we have a much clearer understanding of Eternity and life after death. We should anticipate heaven more than even the greatest saints of the Old Testament.

D. Oliver

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Why do Christians drink wine at the Lord's Supper but at no other time?

Am I right in refusing to take the cup at the Lord’s Table because it is not “non-alcoholic”?

That the wine used by the Lord at the institution of the Lord’s Supper was the ordinary wine of the country, nothing but special pleading can deny. The vintage was then long past, so that any idea of fresh grape juice and water is ruled out. At Corinth (see 1 Corinthians 11" TARGET="_blank">1 Corinthians 11: ), the erroneous idea had crept in that the Lord’s Supper was to be a meal, and each brought his or her provisions, and “one was hungry and another drunken”! How does the apostle meet this scandal? Not by advocating the use of some substitute for the ordinary wine used, but by showing that it was not a meal, but a memorial act, for which a morsel of bread or a sup of wine sufficed. I am not advocating the habitual use of wine as a beverage; on the contrary, but for anyone to refuse to partake of the cup, which the Lord Himself instituted, because it contains wine, which some have abused, seems like setting up himself to be wiser than God, and to incur a serious responsibility.

W.H.

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Please explain "baptized for the dead" in 1 Corinthians 15:21

Please explain "baptized for the dead" in 1 Corinthians 15:21" TARGET="_blank">1 Corinthians 15:21

There is no indication either in Scripture or in historical records during the apostolic period that living Christians were baptized in the place of unbaptized believers who had died. Were this a scriptural practice, it would have been taught in the New Testament epistles. Had it been wrongly practiced, the apostles would have written against it. This practice, however, is being followed by certain modem day cults.

Every reference to death in the chapter refers to physical, not spiritual, death. Paul is dealing with the false teaching of some in Corinth who denied the resurrection; therefore, the primary subject of the chapter is the absolute certainty of the resurrection of all believers who have died. The apostle asks the question in verse 29 that if new converts were not absolutely sure of resurrection, why would they be willing to risk persecution by being baptized, thus publicly stepping into the ranks of believers, in place of those who had died or been martyred. In a parallel question in verse 30, Paul asks why would he be willing to live in jeopardy of his fife every hour if he were not absolutely confident of the resurrection.

A. Joyce

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Free Online Bible Dictionary

The free online Bible dictionary section is part of the online bible program at Gospel Hall dot org. In addition to the free online bible dictionary there are also free online Bible commentaries and online concordances. The free online bible dictionary selection is available along with the concordances under the link to the left titled "Online Bible Search" or here.

Instructions for the Free Online Bible Dictionary

1. Select the link Online Bible Search.

2. You may ignore the top section of the page if you are interested only in the free online bible dictionary.

3. In the section titled "Dictionary Search" type in a key name or phrase that is found in the bible. For example, the online dictionaries are likely to have definitions for terms such as "Grace" or "Sin". The online dictionary also has information regarding Bible places such as "Jerusalem" or "Egypt".

4. Select one of the online dictionaries from the dropdown list. The list of free online bible dictionaries includes the American Tract Dictionary, Easton's Bible Dictionary, the International Bible Encyclopedia, Torreye's Topic Index, Thompson's Chain Reference Bible, and Vine's Greek Dictionary of New Testament Words.

5. Finally, click the "Go" button to search for your term.

6. You may also browse the online dictionaries by each letter of the alphabet in the last search box on the page.

About the Free Online Bible Dictionary (ies)

All of the free online Bible Dictionaries are in the public domain. That is, they passed out of copyright protection after the 75 year period of time since original publish date.

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - The American Tract Society (ATS) is a publishing organization that publishes evangelistic Christian literature. It was founded on May 11, 1825 in New York City for the dissemination of Christian literature in leaflet form and was a strong supporter of the temperance movement. It soon took rank with the American Bible Society. By 1851 it had distributed about 5,000,000 temperance tracts. The ATS is currently headquartered in Garland, Texas. It produces tracts, e-tracts, digitracts, and books. Over the years, ATS has produced many millions of pieces of literature.

Easton's Bible Dictionary - Easton's Bible Dictionary generally refers to the Illustrated Bible Dictionary, Third Edition, by Matthew George Easton M.A., D.D. (1823-1894), published three years after Easton's death in 1897 by Thomas Nelson. Because of its age, it is now a public domain resource. Despite its name, many of the entries in Easton's are encyclopedic in nature, though there are short, dictionary-like entries. It contains nearly 4,000 entries.

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1915) is a public domain Biblical encyclopedia. This encyclopedia was published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. Hailed for its authoritative explanations of every significant word, person, and place in the Bible and Apocrypha, it is the standard by which all other Biblical encyclopedias are measured. In contains articles by nearly 200 scholars about archaeological discoveries, the language and literature of Bible lands, customs, family life, occupations, and the historical and religious environments of Bible people.

Torrey's Topical Textbook is a reference book or concordance for topics found in the Holy Bible. It contains subject index guides to topics found throughout the scriptures. The work contains 628 entries and over 20,000 scripture references. It was published long enough ago that the original edition is believed to be out of copyright, but the exact year of publication is not known from sources cited here. Reverend R.A. Torrey was known for his prolific writings on religious subjects including Methods of Bible Study

The Thompson Chain-Reference system was devised by its namesake, Dr. Frank C. Thompson, in the early 1900s. Dr. Thompson was a young preacher in the late 1800s. He became dissatisfied with the reference Bibles that were then available to preachers.

Dr. Thompson believed the Bible should be presented in a simple, but scholarly way. He saw the need for a well-organized reference Bible that would be of practical use to the layman as well as a minister. In 1890, Dr. Thompson began the work he would continue for the rest of his life. He completed the "thought suggestions" opposite the verses throughout the Bible. These are what became the "chain-links" that are the heart of the Thompson system. Some of the men in Dr. Thompson's church saw his Bible and told him this would be a great help to them in their Bible study too. They encouraged Dr. Thompson to have his Bible, with marginal references, published so that everyone could enjoy the blessing of this helpful study tool.[1]
The first version of Thompson's study Bible was published in 1908 by the Methodists Book Concern of Dobbs Ferry, New York. Five years later, in 1913, Dr. Thompson was joined by B.B. Kirkbride, of Indianapolis, Indiana. The two men formed the Kirkbride Bible Company, in order to further improve and distribute Thompson's work.

The original Thompson Chain-Reference Bible, as well as several subsequent versions, were based on the King James Bible. Currently, editions based on the King James Version, New King James Version, New International Version and New American Standard Bible are available, as well as electronic versions that incorporate other features.

As of 2006, there have been more than 4,000,000 Thompson Chain-Reference Bibles sold.

Vine's Expository Dictionary is a reference guide to Old Testament Hebrew and New Testament Greek words for English readers. Some versions of the work only contain Greek word definitions. It explains King James Version words in an original Greek in context. It provides the meaning of the word in a proper context of Greek background. For example: In English Bible, there is only one word for "love" but in NT Greek, there are four (two being used the mostly). Therefore Vines fills the gap between English Bible and Greek NT nicely and effectively. It provides the definition of a word (KJV word) more accurately than the English dictionary because it uses Greek use of the word. For example: The word, "godliness (1Tim. 2:2)" TARGET="_blank">1Tim. 2:2)" in Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary is defined as "1: Divine 2: pious, devout -" but in Vines, it defines it as " 'to be devout,' denotes that piety which characterized by a Godward attitude, does that which is well-pleasing to Him." It provides fuller meaning of the word by explaining how the word is used in the NT. It can be used with Strongs concordance. Every word is numbered with Strong's number so you can use it more efficiently.

WHEN U.S. WORKS PASS INTO THE PUBLIC DOMAIN

By Lolly Gasaway University of North Carolina

Definition: A public domain work is a creative work that is not protected by copyright and which may be freely used by everyone. The reasons that the work is not protected include: (1) the term of copyright for the work has expired; (2) the author failed to satisfy statutory formalities to perfect the copyright or (3) the work is a work of the U.S. Government.

DATE OF WORK	PROTECTED FROM	TERM
Created 1-1-78 or after	When work is fixed in tangible medium of expression	Life + 70 years¹(or if work of corporate authorship, the shorter of 95 years from publication, or 120 years from creation²
Published before 1923	In public domain	None
Published from 1923 - 63	When published with notice³	28 years + could be renewed for 47 years, now extended by 20 years for a total renewal of 67 years. If not so renewed, now in public domain
Published from 1964 - 77	When published with notice	28 years for first term; now automatic extension of 67 years for second term
Created before 1-1-78 but not published	1-1-78, the effective date of the 1976 Act which eliminated common law copyright	Life + 70 years or 12-31-2002, whichever is greater
Created before 1-1-78 but published between then and 12-31-2002	1-1-78, the effective date of the 1976 Act which eliminated common law copyright	Life + 70 years or 12-31-2047 whichever is greater

1 Term of joint works is measured by life of the longest-lived author.
2 Works for hire, anonymous and pseudonymous works also have this term. 17 U.S.C. § 302(c).
3 Under the 1909 Act, works published without notice went into the public domain upon publication. Works published without notice between 1-1-78 and 3-1-89, effective date of the Berne Convention Implementation Act, retained copyright only if efforts to correct the accidental omission of notice was made within five years, such as by placing notice on unsold copies. 17 U.S.C. § 405. (Notes courtesy of Professor Tom Field, Franklin Pierce Law Center and Lolly Gasaway)

LOLLY GASAWAY Last updated 11-04-03
Chart may be freely duplicated or linked to for nonprofit purposes.No permission needed.
Please include web address on all reproductions of chart so recipients know where to find
any updates.

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What is "the stone that the builders rejected"?

What do the words, “Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken” (Matthew 21:44)" TARGET="_blank">Matthew 21:44) imply?

Psalms 118:22" TARGET="_blank">Psalms 118:22 The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

Matthew 21:42-44" TARGET="_blank">Matthew 21:42-44 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: "'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? (43) Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. (44) And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him."

The meaning seems to be clearly given in such passages as Isaiah 8:14-15;" TARGET="_blank">Isaiah 8:14-15; 1 Peter 2:7-8;" TARGET="_blank">1 Peter 2:7-8; and Romans 9:32-33." TARGET="_blank">Romans 9:32-33. Those who reject the Gospel (especially Israel), instead of building on the “Living Stone” of 1 Peter 2:4," TARGET="_blank">1 Peter 2:4, stumble and fall over the “Stone of Stumbling” of v. 8.
The whole picture in Psalm 118" TARGET="_blank">Psalm 118 and Matthew 21" TARGET="_blank">Matthew 21 is very interesting. The Stone was meant for the foundation, but the builders did not place it there and afterwards could find no place to fit it. So they “rejected” it and cast it aside. Then as they moved about at their work, it lay in their way, and they stumbled over it and fell. Lastly, God Himself takes up the Stone and places it in the most conspicuous place of all, as “Headstone of the corner,” and the rejected One becomes the Judge and Punisher of those who rejected Him.

W.R.

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Why do some versions of the Bible not include the name Lucifer in Isaiah 14:12?

Why do some versions of the Bible not include the name Lucifer in Isaiah 14:12" TARGET="_blank">Isaiah 14:12?

This page was adapted from an answer at Truth and Tidings Magazine by David Oliver.

Lucifer is a name that means the "shining one, light-bearer, morning star" (Brown-Driver-Briggs). In the English language, we capitalize names, but in Hebrew this is not the case; without using capitals in the Hebrew text, translators must sometimes make an intelligent guess as to whether a word is a general noun or a name. This is a case in which the translators of various Bible versions have come to different conclusions.

If John Nelson Darby’s French translation of this verse (cited by the person who sent in these questions) were translated back into English, the Hebrew word would be the "brilliant star." However, in Darby’s English Bible translation, the text says, "How art thou fallen from heaven, Lucifer, son of the morning!" A Bible translator may choose whether to translate a word as a general noun (as in Darby’s French translation) or a proper name or title (as in his English translation). This is done based on the context of the words. This involves some degree of interpretation in translating. Because there is a variety of opinion on how the translation should be done, perhaps some translators (ESV, NASB, YLT, and others) gave a neutral translation. That is, they did not interpret the text, but simply translated the words exactly.

The problem with translating this verse is determining where the quote from "all the kings of the nations" (v 9) stops. The words of their mourning for the fallen king of Babylon (v 4) continue at least to the end of verse 11. The passage likely contains a reference to Canaanite and Syrian mythology (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, TWOT). The son of one of the gods attempted to, but was unable, to hold the throne. He "attempted to climb to the highest point of heaven and as the dawn star [emphasis added] was ever condemned to be cast down into Hades." If the heathen kings are still speaking in verse 12, they may be citing this mythology when "the dawn star" was thrown down. Even if this is the reference, the Spirit of God moves from this to the more profound incident of which this is a reminder (perhaps elements of the myths were actually perversions of truth revealed long before). Only one truly aspired to superiority above other angelic creatures ("upon the mount of assembly" with a throne above "the stars of God" in v 13, also see Job 1:6; 2:1;" TARGET="_blank">Job 1:6; 2:1; and 38:7) and to be "like the Most High." The pride of the king of Babylon was like Satan’s pride, and the fall of the king is similar to Satan’s condemnation to be in the Lake of Fire (Rev 20:10)." TARGET="_blank">Rev 20:10). The "light-bearer" or "morning star" in this passage is Lucifer, Satan himself, whether the word is translated "morning star," "light-bearer," or "day star" rather than "Lucifer."

D. Oliver

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My friend has doubts about his salvation. How can I help?

How can we help a person when we doubt his profession of salvation?

The Lord seems to have dealt with people on the basis of what they claimed to be, even when He knew their claim was false. He addressed the Samaritan woman as a worshiper (John 4:20-24)," TARGET="_blank">John 4:20-24), the lawyer as an honest questioner (Luke 10:29-37)," TARGET="_blank">Luke 10:29-37), and the womans accusers as defenders of the law (John 8:6-9)." TARGET="_blank">John 8:6-9). He kept the channel of communication open, but immediately, graciously, and wisely used that open channel to convey truth that worked effectively to expose their position. By limiting our ability to communicate further with individuals, we can no longer help them. When we maintain a channel of communication, we can effectively communicate Gods living, powerful Word (Heb. 4:12)." TARGET="_blank">Heb. 4:12).

Allowing for the possibility that our assessment is mistaken, we can pray for him, take a genuine interest in him, and act on his claim to be saved: feed him with Gods Word and talk often about the Savior and salvation with him. A lack of response to Gods Word, transformation in the life, and appreciation for the value of the cross indicates a lack of spiritual life.

If he is not saved, the channel of communication remains open for seeing him saved. If he is saved, cultivating spiritual growth fulfils the responsibility to "disciple all nations" (Matthew 28:19)." TARGET="_blank">Matthew 28:19).

D. Oliver
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Will we be told the questions of life when we reach heaven?

Will our knowledge of our life on earth change when we are with the Lord?

The Lord Jesus in Luke 16:25" TARGET="_blank">Luke 16:25 quotes Abraham, "Son, remember..." The rich man knew personal events from his life. He also knew events in the life of Lazarus. In Revelation 6:10," TARGET="_blank">Revelation 6:10, those who had been slain remember the manner of their death and appeal that their death be avenged.

At the Judgment Seat (Romans 14:10-12;" TARGET="_blank">Romans 14:10-12; 1 Corinthians 3:13-15;" TARGET="_blank">1 Corinthians 3:13-15; 2 Corinthians 5:10)," TARGET="_blank">2 Corinthians 5:10), the Lord will review service and motives in our life. We then will know His assessment, when He gives rewards. Colossians 3:25" TARGET="_blank">Colossians 3:25 is a solemn passage to consider. We conclude that our knowledge of the past will not be less, but will expand through what we learn from Him about our life.

E. Doherty
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Will young children be taken in the rapture?

CHILDREN AND THE RAPTURE

Is it scriptural to say that the children of believers shall be caught up when the Lord comes?

Some evangelists say they will, while others say they will not. I mean children not old enough to understand.

Does not the difference of view among the Lord’s servants arise from the fact that there is no clear revelation in the Word of God? It would seem unthinkable that the small children of unconverted parents throughout the world should be all caught away when the Lord returns, for if any go all must go. It is equally unthinkable that the irresponsible children of Christians, the subjects of believing prayer, should be all left behind when their parents are taken, for if any are left all must be left. Can we not leave the matter to God in the assurance that the Judge of all the earth will do right? In the meantime diligently point the little ones to the Saviour.

W.H.

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